Apparatus for automatically block-signaling on railways.



No. 70,325. Patented Dec. 30, IBOZ.

F. B. BEHR.

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY BLOCK SIGNALING 0N BAILWAYS.

(Application filed Mar. 5, 1901.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRITZ B. BE R, or TWIOKENI-IAM, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY BLOCK-SIGNALING 0N RAlLWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 717,325, dated December 30, 1902:.

I Application filed March 5, 1901. Serial No. 49,880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRITZ BERNHARD BEER, a citizen of England, residing at South End House, Twickenham, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling on Railways, (for which I have applied for a patent in Great Britain, dated September 11, 1900, No. 16,117,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for automatically block-signaling on railways by means of electrical appliances and arrangements, which I'shalldescribe with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows five successive semaphoresignals A B O D E, dividing the line into sections, which may be miles long. AtA, O, and D are side views of the electrical contact apparatus mounted at each signal-station. The contact-points only are indicated at B and D to avoid unnecessary repetition. Figs. 2 and 3 are front views of this apparatus, showing the parts in different positions. Fig. 4 is a part transverse section of the train-contacts at each signal-station.

The action of the apparatus maybe briefly described as follows: As a train passes a signal, such as C, it makes contacts, closing the circuit of a local battery, a current from which energizes a solenoid. The core of the solenoid being attracted by means of a pawl acting on a ratchet-wheel turns the wheel partly around. Two three-armed brushes fixed on the shaft of the ratchet-wheel are thus partly turned. One of these makes a contact by which a circuit is closed for a battery at A two stations behind, and a solenoid there energized moves the semaphore at that station to safety position. Also the other brush at O breaks a contact there, and thus the solenoid which had previously moved the semaphore at O to safety becomes inert, and thereupon the signal at O is caused by its counterweight to rise to danger. As every train thus sets to danger every signal that it passes and lowers to safety the signaltwo stations behind it, if the trains implicitly obey the signals there never can be a train on the section of line immediately before or immediately behind any section on which a train is running.

I'shall now explain more in detail the ap paratus by the action of which this result is attained.

As shown in Fig. 4, on an overhead framing are fixed two metal strips a, which may be several yards long, with their ends sloping upward. On the roof of the car 0 are mounted two spring-urged rollers or brushes which as the train passes roll or rub along the strips a. The rollers or brushes are electrically connected to one another, and therefore as the car passes they form a bridge, connecting two conductors 1 and 2. Of these, 1 leads to one end of the coil of a solenoid s, from theother end of which aconductor 3 leads to one pole of a battery I). The other conductor 2 leads to the other pole of the battery, anda circuit being thus closed through the solenoid-coil the core cl of the solenoid is attracted and is thus moved from the position shown in Fig. 2 in opposition to a spring to the position shown in Fig. 3-. On the core (1 is fixed a bracket 6, carrying a pawl f and jointed to one arm of a lever mounted on a stationary pivot h, the other arm of which is hooked. As the core (1 makes its instroke the pawl f turns a sixtoothed ratchet-wheel 9 one tooth, and the lever pivoted on h,-being moved over to the position shown in Fig. 3, engages another ratchet-wheel't, which is on the same shaft as g, and so prevents further rotation. On the shaft of g are fixed the insulated three-armed contact-brushes tand t. The center of tie connected through a brush and wire 4 to one pole of the battery I). The center of t is similarly connected by wire 5 to one end of the coil of a solenoid 11 at signal A, the other end of the coil being connected by wire 6 and conductor 2 to one pole of the battery I) at station A. The brushes 1. and t, according as they are in the one position or the other, make the following contacts: Above the brusht is a contact 16, below it a contact 17, and above and below brush t are contacts 19 and 20, respectively. As there are three arms tothese brushes and as the ratchet-wheel with which they turn has six'teeth, the successive movements of the wheel cause the brushes to make contacts above and below, alternately closing and opening circuits determined by the connections of the upper and lower contacts with contacts at other stations. As the connections from station to station are all alike, I need only describe those connecting station 0 with station A behind it and station E in front of it. 19 of G is connected by wire '7to 16' of A, and 20 of O is connected by wire 8 to 17 of O. 16 of O is connected by Wire 9 to 19 of E, and 17 of C is connected by wire 10 to of E.

I shall now trace the efiect of the contact made by the train at C on the signals at A and O. The upper pole of the battery I) at A is connected by lines 2 and 6 to the coil of the solenoid 11, which is connected by line 5 to the center of If at O. This making the upper contact 19 continues the connection by wire 7 to upper contact 16 at A, and this being connected through the center of t and wire 4 to the lower pole of the battery I) at A the circuit of the battery through the coil of the solenoid 11 is completed. The solenoid therefore attracts its core and lowers signal A to safety. Now tracingthe circuit 'of the battery I) and solenoid 11 at O we proceed from the upper pole of the battery through Wires 2 and 6, coil of 11, wire 5 to center of I at E. As there is then no upper contact 19 there and no lower contact 1'7 at 0, there is no course through the line 9 to the battery I) at 0. Therefore the solenoid 11 at C is inert and the signal at O is raised by its counterweight to danger.

As the apparatus and connections are similar for all the stations, actions similar to those above described take place whenever a train passes a signal, the efiect being to raise the signal to danger at that station and to lower the signal two stations behind to safety.

Having thus described the nature of this invent-ion and the best means I know of carrying the same into practical effect, I claim- Automatic block-signaling for a railway comprising at each successive station, a counterweighted semaphore-signal and asolenoid adapted to lower it to safety, a pair of overhead conductingstrips adapted to be bridged by connected contact devices on the train, a battery, a solenoid having its coil connected to one of the conducting-strips and having a springactuated core, a ratchetwheel and pawl actuated by said solenoidcore, two three-armed brushes on the shaft of said ratchet-wheel, upper and lower contacts for each brush, and conducting connections from the brushes to an adjacent signal-solenoid and to a preceding signal-solenoid, and also between the contacts and those of astation next to one before and those of a station next to one behind, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

F. B. BEHR.

Witnesses:

GERALD L. SMITH, EDWARD GARDNER. 

